Doctor suggests 5 easy hacks to eat potatoes without spiking your blood sugar: Adding vinegar to cooling before eating

To minimise blood sugar spikes from potatoes, Dr Amini suggested 5 easy hacks, including cooling after cooking, adding vinegar, and more.

Potatoes have long been the enemy for people with diabetes or those trying not to spike their blood sugar levels. In a video shared on May 3, Dr Aryanna Amini, MD and a nutrition specialist, talked about five different ways you can eat them without spiking your blood sugar.

Dr Amini suggested cooling the potatoes after boiling them, as it lowers the blood sugar spike even more.(Pexels)

5 hacks to eat potatoes without spiking your blood sugar

According to Dr Amini, all carbohydrate-rich foods can raise your glucose level. However, there are a few hacks that can actually blunt and lower the effect and prevent glycemic spikes. She listed five ways one can enjoy potatoes as part of a balanced diet. Here are the hacks she listed:

1. Go for a lower glycemic index

Dr Amini suggested choosing a variety of potatoes with a lower glycemic index, like waxy potatoes (fingerling) over Russet or Idaho varieties. She said that the fingerling potato has a glycemic index of 50-60, as compared to Russet, which has 80-110.

2. Prepare potatoes the right way

Dr Amini said, “How you prepare your potatoes matters! Boiling a potato actually lowers the glycemic index as compared to if you mash or bake it.” For example, she explained that baked Russet potatoes have a glycemic index of around 110, while boiled Russet potatoes have a glycemic index of around 80.

3. Cool it before you eat it

Dr Amini suggested cooling the potatoes after boiling, as it lowers the spike even more. “When you refrigerate white starches, some resistant starch can reform, making it harder to digest, resulting in lower glucose rises, and fewer calories and sugar absorbed, even if you reheat the potato,” she explained. 

A boiled and then cooled potato can lower the glycemic spike by 25-30 percent, Dr Amini explained. 

4. Add fat and protein 

Adding fat and protein to your potato will also blunt the glycemic effect. For example, adding something like cheese can also lower glucose spikes. 

5. Add vinegar

Dr Amini suggested adding vinegar (which contains acetic acid) to potatoes, which can lower the glucose and insulin spikes. Paired with the above refrigeration hack, adding 15–20 ml of vinegar before or in combination with chilled boiled potatoes decreases their glycemic index by up to 43 percent. 

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.